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Boot Camp-Troubleshooting Hardware Bootup Problems
This guide deals with troubleshooting a PC that won't boot to the point where it at least starts loading an operating system (hardware related problem). This article is intended for a person who has a little knowledge of PC's and is comfortable...
Computer Hygiene - Take Out The Trash!
Do you find that your computer exhibits one or more of the following behaviors? - Inexplicable message or warning pop-ups - Frequent unsolicited reboots - Your favorite application often crashes - Applications now start up sluggishly - Your...
Is It Still Good To Share?
5 Easy Steps To Sharing Files and Folders On Your Network
Have you heard all the talk about file sharing and still wondering if there are any advantages for you to enable file sharing? If you are anything like me, it takes a lot to change what...
New software suite improves productivity and slashes costs for small and medium size businesses
Small and medium size businesses can now cut costs and improve productivity by introducing a new software suite that enables them to save time and money by slashing the time it takes to work effectively with colleagues. A Microsoft survey of...
Wireless Network Security
Working from home has its advantages, including no commute, a more flexible work schedule and fresh coffee and home-cooked meals whenever you want. But working from home while using a wireless local area network (WLAN) may lead to theft of...
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Which Web Host is right for you?
There are thousands of Web Hosting Companies out there and counting. How do I choose the ideal plan for my Web Site? The key here is to understand what your Web Site’s needs are. Once you know what is required, you can eliminate many options. These are the most important points that you need to focus on:
Determine the requirements of your site.
Choosing an Operating System.
Choosing between SHARED and DEDICATED solutions.
Determine which hosting company is better.
So, what are the requirements of my site?
Answer all the following questions. If there is any question that you do not know the answer to, try to work with your Web Designer. If you do not have a Web Designer, try to ask any Web Hosting Provider. If you do not understand any of the terms, see Web Hosting Terminologies at http://www.sirunet.com/WebHostingTerms.com.
•How much Disk Space does your Web Site require?
•How much Monthly Transfer (Bandwidth) do you need?
•Is a Database required? If so, what Type of Database is required for your site?
•What Scripting Languages does your web site use?
•Does your site require Servlet Technology (Server-side scripting language)?
•If so, What Servlet Technology does your web site use?
Some of the questions above may have approximated answers. Try to do your best and it will help you when choosing your hosting provider and plan.
Most of the sites out there need less than 100 Megabytes (MB) of disk space. Notice that one Megabyte is equivalence to eight Megabits, so do not be fooled by numbers. If your web site is not for heavy media downloads, in most cases you do not need more than 10 Gigabyte (GB) of Monthly Transfer. There is an equation that can be used to calculate your bandwidth:
Monthly Transfer = Monthly Visitors x Average Hits per Visitor x Average Page Size
Unless you have a web site hosted already, otherwise it is impossible for you to determine the site’s monthly visitors and average page hits per visitor. So lets put this aside for now.
There are many types of databases. The most commonly used database types are MYSQL (Windows & UNIX), ODBC (Windows), and MS Access (Windows). By knowing what type of database you use, it will help you decide which Operating System to go for.
The most popular Scripting Languages are CGI and Perl. While most of the web hosting plans include these as standard features, you do not have to worry too much here. Note: some Free Web Hosting plans DO NOT support scripting languages.
Choosing a Web Host with Servlet Technology is very hard because it is not commonly supported and even for those who say they support it, they do not have sufficient technical support. The most commonly used Servlet Technologies are Active Server Pages (ASP) and Java Server Pages (JSP). While JSP is best supported in both Windows and UNIX environment, ASP is currently well supported only in Windows. Although Sun Java System
Active Server Pages do work on UNIX environment, it is still in testing stage; as of July 2004.
What Operating System should I go for?
Windows based hosting plans are usually more expensive than those are UNIX based. Why would I need Windows Hosting then? There are many factors. If you use ODBC or MS Access database you may be required to use Windows Hosting. If you use ASP you may be required to use Windows Hosting. If you or your Web Master is more familiar with Windows environment you may consider using Windows Hosting. If you do not need any of the above, I would recommend you to use UNIX based Hosting. Why? Because they are much less expensive in terms of service fees and software licensing than Windows Hosting. Windows hosting are often slower than UNIX hosting in performance. If you have two servers with exact hardware specs, one in UNIX and the other one in Windows, the UNIX server will have better performance in terms of speed, reliability, and security.
Should I use SHARED hosting or DEDICATED hosting?
There are only a few reasons that you will need dedicated hosting. Your site contains sensitive information that you need better security and dedicated hosting does that. If you need flexible software support, you should consider dedicated hosting. If you need total control over your account, you should consider dedicated hosting. If you need to host a large web application, dedicated hosting is your choice. So who should choose dedicated hosting? Any Web Sites that need any of the above should choose dedicated hosting. If you do not need any of the above, I would recommend you to use shared hosting because it is more cost effective than dedicated hosting.
Hints on choosing a Web Hosting company
Ok. Now I know the requirements of my Web Site and which type of hosting to choose, but how do I know which Web Hosting company is better? There are two factors that you should focus on. First, check if the company offers all the things your Web Site needs. Second, check if the company is reliable in terms of services and support. The only way for you to know if a company is reliable is to try them, so sign up for the plans that have at least 15 days Money-back guarantee. This way you can always cancel the account if you do not feel comfortable with the company. How would you know if they have what you want? Well, the best way is to ask them. Make sure to provide them all of the requirements of your Web Site. There are other ways to know more about the companies, such as finding reviews on hosting community sites. But the reviews are often misleading, thus the best way is still trying it yourselves.
To summarize, make sure to know both what your Web Site needs and what Web Hosting companies are offering before making your final choice.
About the Author
Shawn Si, is an editor and Marketing Director of Sirunet.com, a leading ecommerce enabled web hosting service provider. He can be reached at shawn@sirunet.com
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| Tom's Hardware |
| : Tom's Hardware Guide is the Internet's premiere resource for hardware news and reviews. |
| www.tomshardware.com |
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| HardwareCentral - Your source for in-depth computer hardware info. |
| HardwareCentral is the #1 Hardware Information Resource on the 'Net. Featuring over 600 pages of Hardware information, including advice on System ... |
| www.hardwarecentral.com |
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| Apple - Hardware |
| Find your favorite Mac, iPod and other Apple accessories. |
| www.apple.com |
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| Ace Hardware |
| Nationwide (United States) hardware and home improvement retailer. Includes products, dealer locator and corporate information. |
| www.acehardware.com |
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| Computer hardware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with software and ... Personal computers, the computer hardware familiar to most people, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Hardware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Hardware is the general term that is used to describe physical artifacts of a technology. ... In a looser sense, hardware can be major military equipment, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Open Directory - Computers: Hardware |
| Hardware Central - Computing-centric community providing vital information, support, tools and interaction facilities for power computer users and ... |
| dmoz.org |
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| Microsoft Hardware – Home Page |
| Learn about Microsoft mice, keyboards, desktop sets, webcams, media center peripherals, gaming products, fingerprint readers and presentation tools. |
| www.microsoft.com |
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| AnandTech: your source for hardware analysis and news |
| Independent hands-on reviews of computer hardware such as motherboards, graphic cards, and CPUs. |
| www.anandtech.com |
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| hardware.com - Routers, switches, firewalls, servers, memory ... |
| Supplier of new and refurbished networking hardware and approved and compatible network accessories. Located in the United Kingdom. |
| www.hardware.com |
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| Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters |
| From the article: "Although the news caused barely a ripple of reaction in the audience of software and hardware engineers, there are industry analysts who ... |
| hardware.slashdot.org |
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| InformationWeek HardwareTech Center |
| Our hardware coverage ranges from mobile computers and PDAs to servers and supercomputers, and the infrastructure issues enterprises deal with every day. ... |
| www.informationweek.com |
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| What is hardware? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer ... |
| This page describes the term hardware and lists other pages on the Web where you can find additional information. |
| www.webopedia.com |
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| Google Directory - Computers > Hardware |
| Hardware Central - http://www.hardwarecentral.com/ Computing-centric community providing vital information, support, tools and interaction facilities for ... |
| www.google.com |
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| Gifts: Unique Gifts & Gift Ideas at Restoration Hardware |
| At Restoration Hardware, you'll explore an exceptional world of high quality unique gifts. Browse our products to find gift ideas & more at Restoration ... |
| www.restorationhardware.com |
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| HwB: The Hardware Book |
| HwB provides you with circuits, pinouts, cable/adapter descriptions and other technical information. |
| www.hardwarebook.net |
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| Reg Hardware: Product News and Gadget Reviews from The Register |
| More Gadgets Stuff. 5th December 2006 12:09 GMT. Author: Reg Hardware ... 27th November 2006 15:31 GMT. Author: The Hardware Widow ... |
| www.reghardware.co.uk |
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| red hat hardware compatibility lists |
| hardware.redhat.com/ - Similar pages |
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| TrueValue.com |
| Here's our tip to hang strands of lights with ease. Jeanenne & Jim Tucker Plantation True Value Hardware Richmond, TX ... |
| www.truevalue.com |
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| A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware |
| A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware, Logic and Architecture. 500 easy-read articles about the modern PC. Understand the basic architecture of ... |
| www.karbosguide.com |
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