Save backup files, photos, and data to cd with Windows XP

If you have Windows XP it is easy to backup your files, including photos, pictures, emails, word documents, data, and basically anything that is important to you. It is just a matter of having a blank cd in your burner and then right clicking on any file or folder that you want to add to the cd.

How to add files and folders to save to a cd in Windows XP:

1. Put a blank cd in your cd burner.
2. Browse through your computer for files or folders that you want to save to cd.
3. Right click on the file and a menu will appear.
4. Choose send to, then choose to send to the cd drive that the blank cd is in.
5. Keep adding files, photos, or whatever you like. (usually 700mb)
6. When you have finished you can press on write files to cd in the left menu bar.
7. The cd will burn.

How to find the CD writing dialog box:

1. Go to the start menu, choose my computer.
2. Then look for the icon for your cd burner which will have your blank cd in.
3. Double click on it to open.
4. This is where you will see the blue menu on the left.

Watch this video on how to backup files, photos, and data to a cd:

Notes:

• You can also double click on the balloon message that appears in the right corner. It says you have files ready to be writen to a cd.. This will also open the cd writing dialog box.
• A cd will fit around 700mb of files and data. Movies usually do not fit onto a cd unless they are short or compressed to do so. A blank dvd disc will fit 4.7gb of data.
• The built in Windows cd writing program does not work with DVD burning.

See more Windows XP Tips

What are the different firewire cables and which one do I need?

FireWire Cables
FireWire is a strategic method used to transfer information between two interacting digital devices, such as audio and video systems or equipment. FireWire, also known as IEEE 1394, is extremely fast with speeds up to 800 Mbps and should soon be up to 3.2 Gbps.
A FireWire bus can support up to 63 devices and works under both Windows operating systems and Mac OS. After connecting a FireWire device to your system, the computer will enumerate the device and auto-detect the device and ask for the driver disc. If the device is already installed, the computer will activate it and begin communications. FireWire devices are hot pluggable, meaning they can be connected or disconnected at any time, even with the power on.
This system is most commonly used for connection of data storage devices, DV (digital video) cameras, and industrial systems for machine vision and professional audio systems.
Although these network cables seem very similar in function to a regular USB cable, they are far speedier and have greater power distribution capabilities because they do not require a computer host. FireWire also has higher sustained data transfer rates, which is especially important for audio and video editing.

There are a few different standards and versions including FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394-1995), enhancements (IEEE 1394a-2000), FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b-2002), and the FireWire S1600 and S3200.
FireWire 400 transfers data at speeds of 100, 200, or 400 Mbit/s. The cable length is only limited to approximately 15 feet. This standard can also be chained using active repeaters, external hubs, or internal hubs.

The enhancement versions clarified the original FireWire by adding in support for asynchronous streaming, quicker bus configuration, packet concatenation, and a power saving suspend mode.
The FireWire 800 is a newer specification of the 1394b and corresponding products allow a transfer rate of 786.432 Mbit via a new encoding scheme termed beta mode. It is backwards compatible to the slower rates and 6-pin connectors of the 400. However the 800’s connector is different from the 400’s connector making the two incompatible. A separate bilingual cable allows the connection of older devices to the new port.

The FireWire S1600 and S3200 are defined in 1394b but the 1.6 Gbit/s and 3.2 Gbit/s devices will use the same 9-pin connectors as the existing FireWire 800. These products are intended to compete with the forthcoming USB 3.0.

My panasonic video camera takes a 4 pin firewire cable as in the picture above. The other end has a 9 pin connector on it. This fits into my firewire port in the back of my computer, however my laptop has a 4 pin connecter. For the laptop I need a cable with 4 pins on both ends. It can get confusing, however once you know what connection you need, its easy after that.

What are the different network cables available and what are they used for?

Network Cables are used to connect switches to computers and/or routers. They are produced in a variety of colors so they are easily distinguishable to identify their purpose. Types of cables may serve as microphone cables, headphone extension cables, XLR connectors, RCA connectors and TRS connector cables, modular Ethernet cables, as well as snake cables which carry video or amplified signals. The most common types of network cables are: Ethernet, Cat5, Cat5e, and Cat6 cables.

Ethernet
Ethernet is a computer networking technology for local area networks (LANs) which has been used almost 30 years, largely replacing other competing LAN standards such as the token ring, FDDI, and ARCNET. It is the most commonly used network cable for Windows and Macs and necessary for network setup. This type of network cable defines a number of wiring and signaling standards for a physical layer, through means of access at the Media Access Center (MAC)/DLL, and a common addressing format.

Cat5/Cat5e
Category 5 Ethernet cables, or commonly known as Cat5s or “Cable and Telephone”, are twisted pairs of cables used for high signal networks. A regular Cat5 cable is identified as being unshielded and a Cat5e specification incorporates a shield. This general type of cable is used in structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet, and is also able to carry basic voice signals, token rings, and ATM.

Cat 5 Network Cable is the standard type of cable for networking your computers and other network devices such as printers, copiers, cameras, etc. These cables can support frequencies of up to 100 MHZ. This cable includes four twisted pairs of cable in one and uses balanced lines to preserve a high signal-to-noise ratio despite interference from both external sources and other pairs, otherwise known as crosstalk. It is most commonly used for 100 Mbit/s networks, such as a 100BASE-TX Ethernet.

A Cat5e cable is a more advanced form of the Cat5 cable in that it adds specifications for far end crosstalk. A far end cross talk is an electromagnetic interference (EMI) which runs in parallel with the FEXT induced wire. In simpler terms it is the unwanted coupling of energy between two circuits or channels occurring at the far end of the link. The Cat5e cable has tighter specifications to avoid such occurrences. The downfall of a Cat5e cable is its distance limitation of only 100 meters.

Category 6 Cable
A Cat6 cable is a standard for Gigabit Ethernet as well as other network protocols that is also backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards. A Cat-6 features even more stringent specifications than a Cat5e for crosstalk and system noise. It provides performance of up to 250 MHZ and is also suitable for 10 Gigabit Ethernet standards, although with limitations on the length if unshielded.

Composed of four twisted copper wire pairs, a Cat6 is normally terminated in 8P8C modular connectors. One of its best attribute is the noise reduction caused by crosstalk and system noise. Near End Crosstalk and PSNEXT are also significantly lowered by use of this cable.