computer ram dvd ram dvd ram media dvd ram disc

DVD-RAM Information

DVD-RAM is a competing DVD Re-Writable format with many advantages over its rivals. DVD-RAM stands for DVD-Random Access Memory, a name given to the format that is widely debated. The problem some people find with the "RAM" part of the name, is that DVD-RAM is not really "Random Access Memory" - the name really gives a comparison between DVD-RAM and other format such as DVD-RW because of its "Random Access" capabilities (that we will look at a little later). Beyond the name, DVD-RAM surpasses other recordable DVD media in many ways whether its a question of reliability, quality, speed or ease of use. In this glossary item we will take a look at this excellent format and what it has to offer for you.

In this glossary item, we are lucky enough to have some answers from Tony Jasionowski of the DVD-RAM Promotion Group to publish. These were kindly given to AfterDawn by RAMPRG (the DVD-RAM Promotion Group) after we were offered a discussion in late 2005. Reading through this glossary item, you will find some quotes from Mr. Jasionowski.

Wide Variety of Uses

A major selling point about DVD-RAM is the number of uses it is suitable for. A variety of factors such as Random Access, Defect Management & Advanced Editing Functions make the format suitable for home users and professionals alike. DVD-RAM really stands out by being fully support by the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. FAT32 formatted DVD-RAM discs can be written to directly by Windows XP without the need for further driver installations. A driver is needed to write however if you are using an older Windows OS or UDF-formatted discs (you need software like InCD with Windows XP for UDF).

DVD-RAM discs are commonly used in DVD Recorder Equipment and Camcorders. Due to the availability of fast On-Disc Editing, storing your own recordings on DVD-RAM has advantages over storing on other formats. Also, imagine using the disc like a hard disk drive, using the same disc to store data from several sources whether its a DVD recorder, Camcorder or just plain computer files. RAM-compatible hardware can read/write a DVD-RAM disc containing mixed data types.

DVD-RAM's random access capabilities give it more of an edge over its rivals also.

Random Access

Simultaneously recording and playing back content is possible with DVD-RAM thanks to its Random Access capabilities. Like a hard disk drive, instant random access to any location on the disc is possible, making DVD-RAM much faster. RAMPRG exposes the secret as address information located every 2kb immediately before user data while other formats' address information is not as close to user data (some as high as every 32kb).

The Speed of DVD-RAM

When choosing recordable DVD discs, consumers often go for the fastest option. 12X DVD-RAM was released in January 2006. Before that, in 2004, DVD-RAM was then the fastest Re-Writable DVD media available on the market with the release of 5X media. Additionally, 16X DVD-RAM format was approved by the DVD Forum in Sept. 2005 and could be available in the near future.

Defect Management

The most important thing about blank DVD media is reliability. Consumers have to be sure that their data is safe. Experts have agreed that users are less likely to have technical problems if they choose DVD-RAM over other Re-Writeable formats. There is no need for manual data verification via special software, with DVD-RAM, hardware verification of written data is automatic. If you have accidentally damaged your blank disc and you burn data to it, it is automatically compared with the original data. If it can not be verified, the DVD-RAM drive will use a spare area on the disc to write the unreadable data again and run verification again. This offers the ultimate safety of your data. Additionally, another major selling point of DVD-RAM is the minimum 30 years data retention (if the disc is kept undamaged).

More DVD-RAM Facts

• DVD-RAM discs are sold with or without cartridges. Originally they were sold only in cartridges but now some RAM-compatible devices don't even support those discs anymore. A disc with a protective cartridge costs more.
  
• DVD-RAM does not use Magneto-Optical technology despite being widely believed to do so.
  
• Linux supports DVD-RAM operation directly
  
• Mac OS (v8.6 or later) supports DVD-RAM operation directly.
  
• DVD-RAM discs can be single sided 4.7GB one layer discs or double sided 9.4GB one layer discs. 80mm 1.46GB discs are also available.
  
• Most stand-alone DVD players and recorders, particularly older models, do not support DVD-RAM

Vista's DreamScene

Have you heard of the Windows Vista DreamScene? If not, allow me to tell you a little about it!

The Vista DreamScene is a tool that allows people to use videos and other optimized animations as desktop wallpapers. It's included with the Windows Vista Ultimate Extras package and it can be downloaded through the Windows Update service. The best part about DreamScene is the fact that it uses your video card for its display and not your processor. Therefore, your PC will still have enough resources available for performing other tasks. You can use any video for your wallpaper, as long as it's saved in the .wmv or .mpeg format.

DreamScene is now available and if you use the Windows Vista Ultimate edition, you can begin customizing your desktop today! Simply follow the steps below to get DreamScene installed on your computer. Again, before you continue, make sure you have the Windows Vista Ultimate edition. The Vista DreamScene cannot be installed on any other version. Here we go!
1.) Click on Start, type "Windows Update" in the search box and then hit Enter.
2.) Once the Windows Update loads, click Check for Updates.
3.) Under the Ultimate Extras section, check the Windows DreamScene option and hit Install.
4.) After the Windows DreamScene is installed, you may need to reboot your computer.
5.) After you reboot, right click on your desktop and select Personalize.
6.) Next, click on Desktop Wallpaper.
7.) Hit the Browse button and select the video file you would like to use. Then hit OK.

When you're finished, you will be able to enjoy one of your personal videos as your wallpaper. It doesn't get any better than that! If you still have some questions, you can take a tour through DreamScene to learn more about it. Click
here to do that and then just follow the instructions provided in the video. Once you're more familiar with DreamScene, I know you're just going to love it!

~ Ramachandran Kumaraswami

changing ISP address

Choosing an ISP is very important, because they will have a hand in controlling all your Internet activities once you're all hooked up and connected. There are some things you should think about before taking the plunge and signing up with a certain company. Below is a small list of some of those.

As stated in the question, it's pertinent to find an ISP that is reliable. Reliability is probably the single most important factor when choosing an ISP, because as I said earlier, they will be the ones controlling your Internet usage. Even if the ISP you choose is cheaper than some of the others around your area, if they're not dependable when you're trying to connect to the Internet, it doesn't matter. You will spend more time on the phone with them trying to straighten things out and it's just not worth all that hassle.

If you're thinking about going with a discount ISP or even a free one, you may want to rethink that. Those types of ISPs have major connectivity issues, along with several other problems that can occur. It's a good idea to check the company with the Better Business Bureau's reliability report before you sign anything. Here's a Web site you can check out to do that.

Another thing you'll want to ask when looking for an ISP is their modem to customer ratio. If one has a lot of customers, but few modems, you'll run into trouble that way too. Also, make sure you find out if the ISP is directly linked to the Internet's backbone, because if they're not, you'll have to deal with router switches, etc. Don't be afraid to ask all of these questions. It's your money and you need to be happy with your choice in the end.

Next, ask about the ISP's speed reputation. There's actually a site you can visit to do a little homework on that before you call any companies. Go here (a CNET Web site), enter in your area code and the type of Internet connection you're looking for (cable, DSL, dial-up, etc). You will then get a bandwidth reading within seconds. It will give you the scoop on typical download speeds for the ISP as well. You can then compare the ISPs available for your local area and narrow your choices down to the one you think will be best for you.

One last thing you can do to choose an ISP is listen to word of mouth. I'm sure several people in your neighborhood have an Internet connection, so talk to them and see who they use. Just ask around and I'm sure you'll hear some pros and cons for the different providers in your area. Ask your friends certain questions like this: Are you satisfied with your provider? How long have you been with them? How often is the service unavailable? Are there extra access numbers? How is the ISP's technical support? And so on.
Asking the right questions and doing a little research will help you find the ISP that will meet all of your needs and make your Internet experience so much better!

~ Erin

My Computer Tips

Well, I'm really going to be talking about your computer, but that's besides the point! So, you know about the My Computer folder we all use quite often, right? It's the main folder that holds all of the different hard disk drives you use for different things on your computer. For example, the C: drive, the A: drive (if you have a floppy disk drive) and all of those removable disk drives for flash drives, etc. Yep, they all sit right there in the My Computer folder!

Okay, so now that we've established that, how can you actually get to it? Most of you probably have an icon for it sitting on your desktop. That's a very easy way to access it, but what if you don't want to use an icon for it? I know I like to keep my desktop as clean as possible so that I can see my beautiful wallpaper better! So, if you're like me, what can you do?

There just so happens to be another way to access the My Computer folder! All you have to do is go to your Start menu and look for it. When you click on Start, look to the right and you will see an option for My Computer. Just click on that and you will be able to choose the particular drive you want to go to from there. That method actually saves you a little bit of clicking time and since you use your Start menu for so many different things anyway, you might as well add one more to it, don't you think?! You will see options for My Documents, My Pictures, My Music and My Network Places in the list as well. Check it out for yourself!
~ Erin

images windows xp wallpapers

Letter Case Mania

Ever find yourself constantly trying to change the capitalization of words or sentences? What do you do?

Maybe you highlight the word or phrase and retype it.

Or, perhaps you're the type who only replaces the individual letters that need to be changed. What a headache!

Well, do you know about the Change Case feature under the Format menu?

Or, for those of you with Word 2007, the button on the Home ribbon.

You know, where you get the options of sentence case, all lower case letters, all upper case letters, all title case letters or to toggle all the letters between upper and lower case.

What I have for you today are a few shortcuts that can replace the Change Case feature and believe it or not, but they're faster than anything you've ever tried!

Let's start with the most versatile choice.

Once you highlight the text to change, use Shift + F3. With that, you can scroll between sentence case letters, all lower case letters and all upper case letters.

That looks great, but what if you want to use all caps and you don't feel like toggling through your choices?

Is there a quicker way?

Of course there is!

If you know you want your text to be in all caps, simply hit Ctrl + Shift + A.

Plus, as if that weren't enough, there's another option you can try. Yep, you can use small caps, which are all the letters in capital letter formation, but slightly smaller than the usual capital letter.

Ctrl + Shift + K will give you small caps, which is a good "attention getter," without completely shouting at the reader.

That's it. Three keys and you're on the way to the formatting you need!

~ April

Is there any way I can change the settings for my keyboard? If so, please explain!

Yes, there is! If you've ever wanted to customize some of your keyboard settings, you've come to the right place, because that's exactly what I'm going to show you how to do today. Let's check it out!

To begin, go to Start, Control Panel and click on the Printers and Other Hardware link, then Keyboard (for Windows XP). If you're using an older version of Windows, go to Start, Control Panel and look for the Hardware icon or even one that just says Keyboard.

Once you click on that, the Keyboard Properties dialogue box will open up on your screen. Under the Character Repeat section, you can choose how long or short you'd like before a character (a letter, etc.) repeats itself when you're holding down a key. Perhaps sometimes you're typing along and a double letter somehow shows up. It may be because you held on to that one key just a little too long. If that seems to happen to you a lot, you can change the repeat delay to a longer amount of time. That way, you'll have more time to move on to the next letter or word. To change that, just use the arrow slider to move in either direction.

Next, you can check on the repeat rate of your keyboard. If you sometimes hold down a key for soooooooooooo long, it may take forever for that one letter to repeat itself. You can fix that by moving the arrow slider to the Fast side. Or, if you like it slower, you can move the slider to the Slow side. Once you have it where you would like it, you can test the rate to see how fast or slow it will go.

The last thing you can do is play with the cursor blink rate. Depending on how fast you would like your cursor to blink while it's standing still, you can have it blink at a fast rate, a medium rate or even no rate at all.

Once you've made all your changes, just hit OK and they will take effect. Welcome to keyboard heaven!

~ Erin

XP SP3: Still On Hold

Several of you have been asking me about this and after doing a lot of research, I think I've finally figured out what's going on. As you all know, in a prior issue of the newsletter, I told you the Windows XP SP3 would be released to the public on April 29, 2008. Well, that day has come and gone and there's still no sign of the SP3. So, what's the deal? Did Microsoft goof up again or is there more to it than that? Well, as much as I hate all of the delays Microsoft puts us through, I have to say they did the right thing on this one. Here's the scoop!

The XP SP3 was all ready to go, but then Microsoft found a "compatibility issue" between the Service Pack and an application called Microsoft Dynamics RMS, which is a retail chain management program for both small and mid-sized businesses. As soon as they found the glitch, they started a filtering process, but until that's finished, they will not be able to release the new SP3. As of right now, there is no official release date, because Microsoft doesn't know how long the filtering will take. They are just promising it will be released ASAP.

Now, some of you may have found copies of the XP SP3 on various Web sites, but it's recommended you do not download it until the final version becomes available. A version of the SP3 was leaked to the Internet, but it's not a safe download, so I urge you to be patient and wait for the real thing. I know you all were anxiously waiting for the SP3 to be released, but you have to remember that Microsoft is just keeping our best interests in mind. They want the final version to be perfect and that's what it will be. As always, I'll continue to keep you posted on any new updates, so keep checking back for the latest news!

~ Erin

Foxit Reader 2.3

New Release: Foxit Reader 2.3

Are you one of the many who use Foxit Reader? You know, the great little program that handles all of your PDF needs! If so, I have great news for you. On April 25, 2008 (just this past Friday), the people over at Foxit released a brand new version of the popular PDF file viewer. That's right, Foxit Reader 2.3 was released and it is now available for download! And let me tell you, it comes jam packed with new features. Let's check it out!

From what I can see, the list of new features is quite lengthy, so I'm just going to give you a sneak peek, but if you want to see the list in full, you can do so right here. Okay, here are some of the new items you can find in Foxit Reader 2.3: a brand new bookmark design, multi-tab browsing, multimedia player support, a comment text tool, rulers and guides, a magnifier and even automatic scrolling. Wow, is that a good looking list or what?!

There are also several new enhanced features, including optimized rendering, search enhancement, better annotation control and font information. You can learn more about all of those on the Web site I gave you up above as well. If you haven't downloaded this new version yet, I have no idea what you're waiting for! It's too good to pass up, so to download Foxit Reader 2.3 for yourself, just click here. Everything you need can be found right there. It's a quick install, so you'll be enjoying your new Foxit Reader in mere seconds. Get it today!

~ Erin