*HOT* Tech News And Downloads, I Would Read This Thread And Post Any Good Info

Top 10 Color Laser Printers

Color laser printers are a great alternative to inkjets, and are becoming more affordable. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.
Edited by Danny Allen
Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 04:00 PM PDT
Test Center About the Test Center
How We Test • What Our Ratings Mean • How the Charts Work
Compare
Use the Check Boxes to see a Side-by-Side Comparison
Rank Name PCW Rating
1
BEST BUY

Oki Printing Solutions C3400n
Oki Printing Solutions C3400n
B&W Pages per Min.: 20
Color Pages per Min.: 16
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $400
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: This entry-level model is small and fast at printing both text and color graphics, though paper handling is limited.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

82.3Very Good
2
Konica Minolta magicolor 2530DL
Konica Minolta magicolor 2530DL
B&W Pages per Min.: 20
Color Pages per Min.: 5
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 200
Price When Reviewed: $399
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The compact 2530DL can print directly from a digital camera and offers competitive costs per page.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

81.2Very Good
3
Lexmark C500n
Lexmark C500n
B&W Pages per Min.: 31
Color Pages per Min.: 8
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $349
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The C500n prints fast, high-quality text at a competitive price, though color graphics quality was disappointing.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

79.4Good
4
Lexmark C530dn
Lexmark C530dn
B&W Pages per Min.: 24
Color Pages per Min.: 22
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-1200
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-1200
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $499
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: This model's price is attractive for a color laser that handles double-sided prints and has two paper trays.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

78.2Good
5
Samsung CLP-300N
Samsung CLP-300N
B&W Pages per Min.: 17
Color Pages per Min.: 4
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 150
Price When Reviewed: $350
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The CLP-300N won't thrill anyone with its unexceptional print quality, but it's small and inexepensive.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

78.1Good
Dell Printer - Official Site
Check out Dell Small Business for the latest technology.
www.Dell.com

Printer
Find deals on HP inkjet, laserjet and photo printers at HP Home Store.
www.hpshopping.com

Kodak All-In-One Printer
Kodak Easyshare Printer & Ink. Save up to 50% on everything you print.
Inkisit.com

6
Dell 3110cn
Dell 3110cn
B&W Pages per Min.: 31
Color Pages per Min.: 17
Max. B&W dpi: 600-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 600-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 400
Price When Reviewed: $499
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The 3110cn is economical to run, and takes an optional duplexer that costs just $199. It's slow to print in color, however.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

77.5Good
7
Ricoh Aficio CL3500N
Ricoh Aficio CL3500N
B&W Pages per Min.: 22
Color Pages per Min.: 22
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by--1200
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-1200
Tray Capacity, pages: 630
Price When Reviewed: $500
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: Excellent paper handling is the CL3500N's best feature, but print quality for graphics and text was dissapointing.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

77.1Good
8
Oki Printing Solutions C5500n
Oki Printing Solutions C5500n
B&W Pages per Min.: 24
Color Pages per Min.: 20
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 400
Price When Reviewed: $595
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: This mid-priced GDI-based printer offers dual paper trays and fast print speeds, especially for graphics.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

76.9Good
9
Xerox Phaser 6180/N
Xerox Phaser 6180/N
B&W Pages per Min.: 26
Color Pages per Min.: 20
Max. B&W dpi: 600-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 600-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 400
Price When Reviewed: $499
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The Phaser 6180/N prints high-quality text at decent speeds, but it finds color images more of a challenge.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

76.1Good
10
Brother HL-2700CN
Brother HL-2700CN
B&W Pages per Min.: 31
Color Pages per Min.: 8
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $500
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: This model prints text fast, but letters looked fuzzy and graphics were dark. Compact design has letter-size paper limit.
(Last Rated: March 07, 2007)
Full Review • Test Report

COPY AND PASTE THIS IN YE BROWSER TO VIEW THE TOTAL DATA afterdawner's just click on the link
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,123839-page,1/article.html

 

PC Inspector File Recovery and more free downloads

MAIN SITE FOR DOWNLOADS
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/collection/collid,1295-order,1-c,downloads/files.html#

PC Inspector File Recovery

License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Jan 2007
Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 9.x, Windows Me, Windows XP
File Size: 5830KB
Downloads Count: 360838
Author: Convar
Recover lost data--even if your older system's FAT or boot sector is damaged.
Depending on how your files were lost, it may be hard to recover them. This data recovery program recovers lost files and finds partitions automatically, even when the boot sector of your machine has become damaged or erased.

Even when a file's header entry is no longer available, PC Inspector File Recovery can recover the file. The program lets you save recovered files on network drives. It recovers files with the original time and date stamp, so maybe it'll be like nothing ever happened.

According to the developer this new version includes several new features.

It can find partitions automatically, even if the boot sector or FAT has been erased or damaged.

It can recover files with the orginal time and date stamp.

It can recover files even when the header entry is no longer available.

It supports a variety of formats, including those created by compressed and archiving programs.

Note: At press time, we had not yet evaluated these new features. We plan rereview this program in the near future.


http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,23069-order,1-page,1-c,utilities/download.html




Restoration

License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Jun 2006
Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 9.x, Windows Me, Windows XP
File Size: 163KB
Downloads Count: 299972
Author: Brian Kato
Recover deleted files--or delete them for good--with this small program.
We've all done it: accidentally deleted a vital file a few minutes before an urgent deadline--and then couldn't find it in the Recycle Bin. Fortunately, there's no need to panic, yet.

Restoration is a free program that can scan your hard drive, floppy diskette or USB thumb drive and find files that have been deleted (Windows doesn't actually destroy files that you delete: it just marks the space they occupy as being available). It can then recover any recently deleted files it finds with a single mouse click.

You can filter the results if you know the name of the file you are looking for, which is much easier than wading through the list of the hundreds of deleted files it usually finds (including temporary files, cached Web files, etc).

Restoration doesn't need to be installed to work. Just keep the program on a floppy or an optical disc and pop it into the drive and run it when you need it (This approach also prevents your accidentally overwriting the deleted file). Although the program has not been updated since 2004, it still worked well in my informal tests and it recovered several files that I had deleted without problems.

--Richard Baguley
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fi...order,1-page,1-c,filemanagement/download.html



VirtualLab Data Recovery Software v4.8.8

License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Jul 2005
Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 9.x, Windows Me, Windows XP
Downloads Count: 126608
Author: Binary Biz
Recover data lost from almost anything short of a sledgehammer accident.
There must be fifty ways to lose your data. Whether you accidentally formatted your drive, deleted a folder, or got wrecked by a virus, this program can reunite you with your data. It connects to a powerful recovery server and uses artificial intelligence to compare your scenario to previous data recovery sessions. It works with FAT 12, FAT 16, FAT 32, and NTFS file-systems. It can find the disappearing data from Jaz disks, Zip disks, and digital camera media as well as from a hard drive.

Note: The program itself is free, but there is a charge for the use of the data recovery server. Costs vary with amount of data to be recovered.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,23067-order,1-page,1-c,utilities/download.html


WhoLockMe Explorer Extension v1.04 Beta

License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Jul 2005
Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Downloads Count: 58169
Author: Dr. Hoiby
Delete tenacious files that you can't otherwise eliminate.
If you're having problems deleting a file, you might consider using WhoLockMe. The program has a handy Explorer extension, which shows which Windows process is locking the file. One click kills the process (a virus, Trojan, spyware, or in my case, a dialog box enhancer), after which you can delete the tenacious hanger-on.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,25368-order,1-page,1-c,harddisk/download.html

 

Winamp 5 Full 5.34 Build 1178 Beta
Mar 17, 2007 - 9:35 AM - by soxrocker
..If you want it here it is come and get...

Nullsoft Winamp is a fast, flexible, high-fidelity media player for Windows. Winamp supports playback of many audio (MP3, OGG, AAC, WAV, MOD, XM, S3M, IT, MIDI, etc) and video types (AVI,ASF,MPEG,NSV), custom appearances called skins (supporting both classic Winamp 1.x/2.x skins and Winamp 3 freeform skins), audio visualization and audio effect plug-ins (including two industry dominating visualization plug-ins), an advanced media library, Internet radio and TV support, CD ripping, and CD burning.

FileForum.com

Winamp 5 Full 5.34 Build 1178 Beta beta
Publisher's Description:

Nullsoft Winamp is a fast, flexible, high-fidelity media player for Windows. Winamp supports playback of many audio (MP3, OGG, AAC, WAV, MOD, XM, S3M, IT, MIDI, etc) and video types (AVI,ASF,MPEG,NSV), custom appearances called skins (supporting both classic Winamp 1.x/2.x skins and Winamp 3 freeform skins), audio visualization and audio effect plug-ins (including two industry dominating visualization plug-ins), an advanced media library, Internet radio and TV support, CD ripping, and CD burning.

The Full version Plays MP3s, AAC, WMA, and more; Compatible with Winamp 2 Plug-ins; Full Support for Classic and Modern Skins; Plays Videos; has a Powerful Media Library; Browse Internet Radio & TV Stations; Integrated Internet Music Videos & Songs; Bundled Visualizations; and Burn & Rip CDs.

Winamp 5 has the following other editions available: Winamp 5 Lite and Winamp 5 Standard.
Latest Changes: View All Changes

* New: IPv6 support
* Improved: Made installer delete in_mp3pro :/
* Improved: IPC_CONVERTFILE now uses api_decodefile (for ripping & transcoding)
* Improved: Embedded IE pages now run in a separate thread
* Improved: General speed and performance optimizations
* Improved: [in_wave] Added ATF support for %bitrate%
* Improved: [ml_local] Composer / Album view (in Edit View, Filters tab)
* Fixed: ???? in the taskbar & system tray with Unicode titles (note that many third party plugins will cause this to revert back to ????)
* Fixed: Installation of Sonic Engine on systems with other Sonic/Roxio products
* Fixed: Tab orders in Preferences
* Fixed: Various media library accessibility/focus issues
* Fixed: [enc_lame] Better output samplerate selection for transcoding
* Fixed: [enc_wav] WAVs missing first 11 samples
* Fixed: [gen_ml] Keyboard focus issue
* Fixed: [in_cdda] Long artist/albumartist CD Info bug


DOWNLOAD HERE
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Winamp_5_Full/1066336873/1

 

-edit-

Sorry wrong thread, I'm embarassed LOL.

 

@Ireland
Thanks for the article...
"PC Inspector File Recovery and more free downloads"...I have a HD that I need to recover some documents from...I was about to reformat it...Will try these programs first...

 

I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS,I BEEN ASKED FROM HERE TO HELL AS TO HOW TO UPDATE GHOST 2003 TO THE LAST VERSION.....(2003.0.0.793)
IN MY OPTION AND OTHERS THIS IS A HELL OF LOT BETTER THEN THE NEWER NORTON GHOST AS THE BACK UP IS IN DOS..

HERES HOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/docid/2002102509582825

http://service1.symantec.com/Support/sharedtech.nsf/docid/2007010219171513

How to obtain the programs updates that are archived on Symantec LiveUpdate server
This solution requires that you use Internet Explorer. If this page is open in any other Web browser, open it in Internet Explorer.
 
Some program updates for old versions of Norton products are archived on a different LiveUpdate server. Configure LiveUpdate to install these archived program updates.
 
STEP 1   Print this page
We suggest that you print this page before you start. PRINT


STEP 2   Download and install LiveUpdate
1
Download the LiveUpdate file for your version of Windows.
 
I use Windows Vista/XP/2000. DOWNLOAD 
I use Windows Me/98. DOWNLOAD 
 
2
Save the file to the Windows desktop.
3
After the download finishes, double-click the lusetup.exe icon on the desktop to install LiveUpdate.
4
Start your Norton program.
5
Click the LiveUpdate button to run LiveUpdate.
6
Restart your computer.


STEP 3   Download the LiveUpdate settings file
1

Right-click the Settings.Hosts.LiveUpdate file and click Save Target As...
2
In the File name, type the following text:
C:\Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate\Settings.Hosts.LiveUpdate


STEP 4   Run LiveUpdate
1
Run a tool to start LiveUpdate. RUN IT NOW
2
Under Use location profile, on the drop-down menu, click SYMANTEC-ARCHIVE.
3
At the bottom of the dialog box, click Next to see the available updates. 
4
Click Next to start the installation.
5
When you are done, click Finish to close LiveUpdate.
Restart the computer if prompted.


Updates to Norton Ghost 2003
Situation:
This document describes the fixes and enhancements that are included in the Norton Ghost 2003 LiveUpdate update.

Solution:
The Norton Ghost 2003 update was available on June 20, 2003. It updates Norton Ghost 2003 from version 2003.789 to version 2003.793. All previous updates are included in this update.

Improvements
The June 2003 update includes the following fixes:

Multiple USB2 controllers
If you installed Norton Ghost 2003 on a computer that has multiple USB2 controllers, you can create or restore an image to an external USB2 device that is access by means of any of the USB2 controllers.

Restoring to external Maxtor USB or FireWire hard drive
If Norton Ghost 2003 is installed, you can create or restore an image to an external Maxtor USB or FireWire hard drive.

Restoring from Ricoh MP525A using USB2 interface
You can now restore an image from a Ricoh MP525A that is connected to the computer using a USB2 interface.

Intel ICH5 chipsets supported
The Norton Ghost 2003 DOS applications, such as Ghost.exe, now work on computers that have the latest Intel ICH5 chipsets.

Linux LILO improvements
This update now supports secondary loaders that span track boundaries, and a kernel image greater than 1024+48 kb on 4096 byte file systems. Norton Ghost 2003 only supports versions of LILO that are earlier than version 22. If your version is later than this, then you must boot from a secondary boot device and rerun LILO on the cloned disk to have a bootable system.

Updated Norton Ghost 2003 files
The following Norton Ghost 2003 files have been updated: Ghost.exe, GhostWalker.exe, GDisk.exe, Ghwrap.exe, and Ghreboot.exe. Symantec recommends that the older versions of these files be replaced with the most current version.


Installation

To install the update

To install the updates for Norton Ghost 2003, read the document How to obtain the programs updates that are archived on Symantec LiveUpdate server.

To verify the installation of the update
Open Norton Ghost 2003.
Click Help > About Norton Ghost 2003. This step displays the version number and build number of Ghost.
Verify that the version and build number are "Norton Ghost 2003.793" and "Build 793."

To verify the update when the computer has Norton SystemWorks installed
Click Start > Search > For Files or Folders.
In the Search for . . . box of the Search Results window, type ghoststart.exe
Click Search Now.
In the right pane, click Ghoststart.exe so it is highlighted.
Click File > Properties > Version tab.
Confirm that the File version: is 2003.0.0.793 or higher.

 

Norton Ghost 2003: Overview
Norton Ghost is a tool which allows you to backup your entire hard drive or partitions on your hard drive in-case something goes wrong with them at a later date. You can do this to a second hard drive, a number or CD’s or a DVD.

Before Norton Ghost 2003 you had to have knowledge of DOS commands to be able to successfully backup your drive. Now there is a nice new shiny front end that will do all of the hard work for you. All you know have to tell it is what you want to backup and to where.

Below is a guide running through the basic steps of backing up a drive in Norton Ghost 2003 followed by doing an Image Integrity Check. After that I will run through the Ghost Explorer program so that you can view the files inside your image and finish up with Restoring your image back onto your hard drive.





Norton Ghost 2003 Tips
I would reccommend that you make your image after you have reformatted and setup your computer. This way you have a nice clean system to restore to if something goes wrong. Also the overall size of the file will be significantly smaller than if you have lots of programs installed. It will work if you do it on a system that has been running for a while but remember any problems that you had will also be restored.

Backing up your image to a hard disk will be quicker than to CD or DVD. However you must do this to a second harddrive. You can't place your image on the same harddrive that you are trying to make an image of.





Norton Ghost 2003: Image Backup
After installing Norton Ghost you should see an icon like the one below in your tool bar. This is the Norton Ghost icon. You can either click on this or run the program from the Start menu.
This is the first screen that you will see when you launch Norton Ghost. To make a backup click on the Backup picture.


This screen simply tells you that you selected Backup as your option. Hit Next to continue.

The next screen shows which drives and partitions are available to be backed up. Here you will need to select which drive you want to backup. Here you will also need to select where you want to place your backed up image file. The two selections are File and Recordable CD or DVD. If you choose file you will need to have a second partition or drive available to use. This can include a USB removable drive. If you choose CD or DVD then make sure you put a disk into the drive now. Once you have selected your options hit the Next button.


On this screen you need to give your file a name if you are not burning to a CD or DVD. Here you can also give your image a description so that you know what is on the drive at a later date. Hit Next to continue.


The following window may come up as Norton Ghost prepares to image your drive.


After this the computer will reboot into DOS. A screen will come up with two options. One will say continue with Norton Ghost imaging and the second will say go back to windows. This is the last chance to abort the imaging. After this Norton Ghost will automatically image your drive and write it to a blank CD or DVD or another hard drive. Once it has finished the computer should restart and take you back into your operating system.

Back in your operating system you will be able to see your image on your other hard drive or CD.



That's it you know have your hard drive backed up.





Norton Ghost 2003: Image Integrity Check

The Image Integrity Check is here to identify any errors with your image before you make any change to your hard drive or worse have to use the image to restore your computer.

The first thing you need to do is to click on the Ghost Advanced button on the left. This will bring up the Advanced Tools window. To check your image click on the Image Integrity Check picture.


This screen simply tells you that you selected Image Integrity Check as your option. Hit Next to continue.



On this window you need to select the image you want to check. To do this click on the Browse button and locate your image. When you have selected an image the Image File Name will change to the corresponding name.

Also an Image Description will appear. If you modified this earlier then it will contain something different to what the picture shows. Once done hit the next button to continue.



On this screen you have the option to change some of the advanced settings in Norton Ghost. Most times the default settings that Norton picks will work. Hit Next to continue.


This screen is just to show you what will come up after the computer resets itself. Hit Next to continue.


This is the summary screen. It simply shows what is going to happen after you hit the Run Now button.



This is a simply warning giving you one last chance to save anything you where working on. Once you hit the OK button your computer will restart.



After this the computer will reboot into DOS. A screen will come up with two options. One will say continue with Norton Ghost imaging and the second will say go back to windows. This is the last chance to abort the Integrity Check. Once it has finished the computer should restart and take you back into your operating system.





Norton Ghost 2003: Ghost Explorer

The Norton Ghost Explorer is here is here so that you can have a look at the images you have created. It also has an option to modify the image that you have created.

The first thing you need to do is to click on the Ghost Utilities button on the left. This will bring up the Ghost Utilities window. To view your image click on the Norton Ghost Explorer picture.



This is Ghost Explorer. You may have to load up your image using File -> Open. Once the image has been loaded you can view the image by clicking on the image name, then the drive and finally the folder name in the left-hand window. In the right hand window the contents will be displayed.




To have a look at the properties of the image file click on File and select Properties.



This will bring up the following window. Here you can see what version of Norton Ghost has been used to create the image, compression type, image size and a whole host of other things. Here you can also change the description that is given to identify the image.



If you change anything in Norton Ghost Explorer make sure that you compile the image or your changes will be lost. To do this select Compile from the File menu.



You will be asked to give your new file a name. Don't overwrite your original file. Once you have given it a name click the save button to save your file.


There is a process counter in the bottom right handside of the screen. Here you can see it says 2% has been completed. It may take a while for the operation to complete.



Afterwards you should do an Integrity Check on the image to make sure everything is ok.





Norton Ghost 2003: Image Restore
This is the first screen that you will see when you launch Norton Ghost. To restore a backup click on the Restore picture.



This screen simply tells you that you selected Restore as your option. Hit Next to continue.



On this window you need to select the image you want to Restore. To do this click on the Browse button and locate your image. When you have selected an image the Image File Name will change to the corresponding name.

Also an Image Description will appear. If you modified this earlier then it will contain something different to what the picture shows. Once done hit the next button to continue.



In this window you have to choose the source image and where you want it to be backed up to. Firstly you have to choose the image from the left-hand window. Click on the option which has the size of the file. Next you have to choose where you want to Restore the image to. This MUST be the same drive and or partition that you originally Backed up. If it is different then you will corrupt that drive and or partition. Here I am Restoring to a partition and not a drive, so I have clicked on the partition called WinXPDisk. Once you are happy click the next button to continue. Double check before you do continue though.



If you running an Operating System on the partition you are Restoring to you will see this window. Here you have to tick the check box to continue. If you are Restoring to a spare drive which doesn’t have an Operating System on it then this window will not appear. Click Next to continue.



On this screen you have the option to change some of the advanced settings in Norton Ghost. Most times the default settings that Norton picks will work. Hit Next to continue.



This screen is just to show you what will come up after the computer resets itself. Hit Next to continue.



This is the summary screen. It simply shows what is going to happen after you hit the Run Now button.



This is a simply warning giving you one last chance to save anything you where working on. Once you hit the OK button your computer will restart.


After this the computer will reboot into DOS. A screen will come up with two options. One will say continue with Norton Ghost restore and the second will say go back to windows. This is the last chance to abort the restore. After this Norton Ghost will automatically restore your drive. Once it has finished the computer should restart and take you back into your operating system.





Version History
1.3 - Added Ghost Explorer
1.2 - Added Integrity Check
1.1 - Added Image Restore
1.0 - Initial Version Containing Image backup

 

Digital Media Converter v2.76

Converting Between PAL and NTSC

Different countries employ different television broadcast systems. North America uses NTSC (National Television System Committee), while most of Europe and Asia uses the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) format. These television systems basically define the manner in which your television set displays the signal it receives.

What this essentially means is that a video recorded by an NTSC camcorder will not play on a PAL television set and vice-versa. The same principle applies to DVD as well; a PAL DVD will not play on most DVD players in North America. So if you want to share your videos with someone overseas, you face a frustrating situation.

You need to convert your videos



f you want to share video content with friends or colleagues on the other side of the ocean, you can either invest in expensive multi-system hardware or convert your videos between NTSC and PAL using software like Digital Media Converter.

Technically, NTSC videos have a resolution of 720x480 and a frame rate of 30 fps, while PAL videos have a resolution of 720x576 and a frame rate of 25 fps. This means that PAL videos have more resolution and hence better image quality. On the other hand, NTSC videos render motion better as the frames are refreshed faster. Either way, you need to convert your source video content to the other standard to enable playback.

MPEG 2 decoder required
Videos recorded on a DVD are MPEG 2 files. Hence, an MPEG 2 decoder must be installed on your computer to view and convert these types of files. We recommend you download free "Free MPEG 2 Decoder".
http://www.deskshare.com/download/mpeg2decoder.exe


Conversion using Digital Media Converter
The first thing to do is to get your videos on to the PC. Moving the video on to the PC is simple if you have a camcorder by connecting your digital camcorder to the PC using the FireWire port. Before starting the conversion process, you need to configure a few settings in Digital Media Converter.

1. Start Digital Media Converter.
2. On the Tools menu, click on Settings.
3. Under the General Settings tab, specify the destination folder where you want to save your converted video.
4. In the Convert to format dropdown list, select the appropriate output option. You can select from amongst VCD / DVD and SVCD for both PAL and NTSC.



5. Click on OK.


You are now set to convert.
1. On the File Menu, click on Add files. Navigate to the video file to be converted and click on OK.
2. On the File Menu, point to Convert to, and click on DVD.
3. On the File Menu, click on Start Conversion.

Once the files are converted you can burn them on to any DVD using DVD burning software. A DVD stores video in files that are of type VOB (File extension is '.VOB'). If a DVD is not copy protected, you can usually copy and paste these files from the DVD to your PC. The DVD, containing the converted videos will play without any problems on your DVD player.

LINK
http://www.deskshare.com/Resources/articles/dmc_convertbetween_PAL_NTSC.aspx

 

I read the article on making in image of your hardrive with ghost, wow, I had to shake the marbles out of my head, if you can do that its great, would or is it easier to make a copy of your drive using an external hardrive?

 

FredBun


it takes me 2 to 3-min to set up a back up with ghost..and 12 min to around 25 min..to make a back up in dos..to a secondary hard drive..its a very fast program..

its not hard to do..

 

ireland, I beleive you, you probably could do it in less time, I apllaud people like you that can, I know what my limits are and doing that is not one of them, if I had somebody here sitting next to me and explaining I could get it down pat in one shot, reading instructions is where I lose, especially if I dont understand them or would have questions between the next click.

I have been using go-back with my computer for the last several years which is really simple, actually saved my butt several times when windows would not boot up, couple of weeks ago when my hardrive crashed and goback could'nt even revert I knew I was up the creek, took it to bestbuy for repair and got hollered at cause I had goback, they said its almost impossible to check the hardrive, fix it and get data out of it, than started to hit me with all kinds of crazy costs because of it, I said forget it and left, found a friend of a friend to replace my HD, guy said with goback its a little more of a pain in the ass to retrieve data but can be done, so he's handling it, and a lot cheaper I may add, so with this new HD in I wont load up goback anymore, I will miss it though cause like I said it pulled me out of the hole many times, but I heard an external drive can be set up easily and some models with a one click backup, if thats true or not I dont know, if it is true can you or somebody recomend one.

 

ddp,thanks for the reply, man I know that feeling and it SUCKS, if it's not much trouble, with you know what model they got?

 

i have ghost files on my computer ever since a got ghost,and i do one once a month..

note those hard drive are in storage incase i need them,i keep 3 back ups with ghost current on my secondary hd..and one current back up on dvdrw dvd..

Acronis True Image is another good one to use..its as easy as ghost 2003..i also use that..

link
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

 

ddp,i tried maxtor, and western back up programs,to me tbey do cause back up errors..was not happy with them..

ghost in dos and true image in windows works the best so far,no errors on recovery..that i could see...

 

ireland, I saved the acronis link, I think I will get it, I have heard good things about this software from other people before, just don't really trust most people I know around me when it comes to computers, its mostly a hit or miss, but I never got any bad advise from most people at AD, Thanks. and at the same time I will still get an external, I will never go thru what I went thru a couple weeks ago.

 

mmmm, interesting.

 

ddp
i have 3-one touch maxtors,do not install the software as its better to use them as as plane external hard drive..

i can use ghost or true image to back up to the one touch usb drives..
and recover the operating system from them with out a problem.

 

Hi,

Please excuse my ignorance, in acronis you have two options, one to back-up the whole HD and the other to clone the HD. Which you think would be better to save? I know the clone is an exact image, but the back-up serves just the same? Sorry I'm confused.