Microsoft Lifecam Cinema – A Consumer Review

April 27th, 2010


Image : http://www.flickr.com

There are two reasons that I use a webcam and have switched from a Logitech webcam to a Microsoft Lifecam Cinema. First and foremost, I use it for work-related tasks. I hold webinars and create video tutorials for my customers using my Lifecam. Secondly, I use the web cam for personal reasons – since all of my family has moved to other states, it’s nice to be able to chat video live streaming video chat with my loved ones.

The Microsoft Lifecam Cinema has an auto focus feature, which I enjoy. That way if I move, or if one of my kids comes into the picture, it readjusts to deliver a crisp, clear picture.

This particular Lifecam model also includes a noise-canceling microphone, which is optimal for my work videos because my customers can’t hear the sounds of my pets or kids in the background.

In order to use the Microsoft Lifecam Cinema, you have to either have Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or an Apple MacOS X 10.2 and up. It comes with a warranty of 3 years, which is nice. I haven’t owned mine that long, but I haven’t had any problems yet and don’t foresee any.

I like to use my Lifecam with Skype, because I have a mentor who coaches me and I work with others who I tutor in online sessions as well. The Skype video chat system works perfectly with the Lifecam software.

One thing I liked it that the stand fit snugly on my PC. I’ve had other web cams that struggled to stay atop my PC, falling off with the slightest nudge, and when you have kids and pets in the house, it has to be secure.

In order to use the MS Lifecam Cinema, you’re going to need a CD-ROM drive plus 1.5 GB of space available. Once you have it installed, you’re going to be amazed at how crisp and clear the image is and how great the sound quality is.

I was impressed with the widescreen image it captures. Most webcams only give a tiny 4:3 shot. When doing tutorials, if I have a whiteboard that I need to show, or another prop, this comes in handy.

Another thing that’s important to me with the Microsoft Lifecam Cinema is that I don’t have a lot of professional lighting in my home. In fact, it’s quite dim. Yet the Lifecam captured the image and produced it as if I had way more lighting than I really did.

If you’d like to read more about why the Microsoft Lifecam line tops other web cams for sale online, visit http://planyourchristmas.com/microsoft-lifecam/ today!

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Microsoft Windows: NTFSF or File System Integrity, Security And File Sharing Features

April 26th, 2010


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NTFS is a Microsoft Windows file system that provides volume consistency by using transaction logging and recovery techniques. NTFS can use its log file and checkpoint information to restore the consistency of the file system.

In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, NTFS also provides advanced features such as file and folder permissions, encryption, disk quotas, and compression.

Unfortunately volumes are not always set up with NTFS as the file system. For instance the FAT file system, a file system that utilizes a data structure called a File Allocation Table (FAT) to organize and manage files, is often used as the default file system to ensure compatibility with older operating systems such as DOS; IBM OS2; and Microsoft Windows 3.1, 95, 98 and ME that may be on the network.

Another file system that might be installed on Windows 2000 or Windows XP is the FAT32 file system. The FAT32 file system is a derivative of the FAT file system. FAT32 supports smaller cluster sizes and larger volumes than FAT, which results in more efficient space allocation on FAT32 volumes.

Because of the consistency and security features of NTFS you may wish to convert from the FAT or FAT32 file system to NTFS. Microsoft provides a command line utility to do this, appropriately named “Convert”. Be aware that “convert” is one-way only. You will not be able to restore your volume back to FAT or FAT32 without using a third-party utility or by reformatting the drive.

To convert FAT or FAT32 volumes to NTFS, type “convert DRIVE:/fs:ntfs /X” on the command line where “DRIVE” is the drive letter (e.g. convert C: /fs:ntfs /x).

“convert C:” tells the command to convert the volume present on the specified drive, in this case the C drive. “/fs:ntfs” tells the command to convert to the NTFS file system. The “/X” parameter” will force the volume to unmount first.

If you are trying to convert your primary volume within Windows, convert will not be able to obtain exclusive access to your hard drive. In other words, while XP is running some files on your primary volume are always “in use”, so the conversion must be done the next time Windows starts to load.

On the next reboot the process will check the drive for errors before proceeding to convert the file system to NTFS.

If the above conversion is successful, or if you try the above instructions and get the message “Drive is already NTFS” but you still do not see the “advanced share” and the “security” tab in “folder properties”, try the following:

Open Windows Explorer.

Select the Tools menu.

Select Folder Options.

Select the View tab.

Scroll the Advanced settings list to the very bottom.

At this point, you will see the “Use simple file sharing (Recommended)” option.

If enabled, remove the check from the checkbox.

You should now have an “advanced share” tab and a “security” tab in the ” folder properties” window.

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Torre DeVito is a web designer and content provider.

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Microsoft Xbox 360 Repair Manual – Save Your Money and Fix Your Microsoft Xbox Yourself

April 24th, 2010


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If you are reading this, you are in search of a Microsoft Xbox 360 repair manual. It means your favorite game console is down and out, and you are just itching for it to be up and running again, and quick. Am I right? Of course I am.

The problem you are facing is the fact that, unless your Xbox 360 is under warranty to Microsoft and therefore free to repair, you will be facing a hefty repair charge. As an example, I took mine in to get a repair estimate, and the repair technician told me it would be a mere $149 to fix my Xbox 360. How insane is that, considering I could get a new one for just fifty more dollars?

So, unless you just want to get out there and buy a brand new one, under warranty, at your favorite retail store, then you are here, searching for a way to fix it yourself. To do that, you are going to need a Microsoft Xbox 360 repair manual. You need one that you can get online, that you can download immediately after purchase, and preferably, one that comes with a series of videos that can show you exactly what to do, step by step.

There are many choices available online for a repair manual, some of which are good, most of which are bad. It is important that you make sure that your manual has video tutorials. You need to be able to watch to learn how to take your console apart, get to the root of the problem without causing more or other problems, fix that problem, then reassemble your console, running and ready to play.

Do your research. Check testimonials. Read sales pages. Then make your decision. Make sure that your Xbox 360 repair manual covers multiple error codes. You want to be able to fix the e74 error code, the single red light, the double red light and the dreaded triple red lights of death, all with the same manual. This way, you won’t have to go out and purchase yet another manual, spending even more money, every time your Xbox 360 goes down.

And in a world where one out of three Xbox 360s goes out, you can bet that you will be looking into additional repairs down the road. Remember my Xbox 360 with the $149 repair estimate? That wasn’t the first time my Xbox was down for the count. And I’ve only had my game console for three years.

Of course there are many other errors that can come up when you or your children are playing there favorite games. To avoid expensive repairs and long down times of play it would be very beneficial for you to invest in your own Microsoft Xbox 360 Repair Manual. Don’t pay high repair bills and have to wait a long time for you or your kids to be able to play your games. Grab a copy and fix your own Xbox. For more information check out http://www.squidoo.com/xbox360e74repairguide.

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