hardware

In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device. How it Works A driver typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or ... communications subsystem to which the hardware is connected. When a calling program invokes a routine in the driver, the driver issues commands to the device. Once the device sends data back to the driver, the driver may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers are hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide the ... (view more)

Some used PCs are reportedly being purchased not for hardware but because people want to get their hands on a copy of Windows XP instead of newer operating system Vista. A recent Gartner study found that about 197 million PCs were discarded because ... Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system created a demand for PCs with greater hardware capabilities. Of those 197 million PCs that were discarded, 44% were put up for sale. David Daoud, research manager at IDC, said that many consumers and businesses prefer used PCs with Windows XP because they still have older copies of software programs that ... (view more)

Pismo File Mount Audit Package Windows application that allows users to mount the contents of ZIP, ISO, and Private Folder files to the file system as virtual folders. http://www.pismotechnic.com/pfm/ap/ Notebook Hardware Control Notebook Hardware ... Control with CPU Speed Control, CPU Voltage Control, Battery control, Hard Drive control and monitoring, ATI Clock Control. Helps you to control the hardware and system power management, customize the notebook (open source ACPI Control System), prolong the battery lifetime, cool down the system and reduce power consumption, and even monitor the ... (view more)

Tech insiders have been speculating about the termination of Apple's Mac 'mini' product line for several months. However, the most recent round of speculation indicates Apple's desire to introduce a new set of comprehensive hardware updates, which ... will allow the product to have technical specifications comparable to other computers in its price range. (Source: appleinsider.com ) Mac minis are Apple's smallest line of desktop computers. They do not include a mouse, keyboard or a monitor. Erroneous speculation of the Mac mini's demise originated from the absence of a significant reengineering ... (view more)

Hardware manufacturers and software publishers have banded together to try to boost the depressed PC gaming market. They've formed the PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA), the first organisation ever dedicated to that cause. The non-profit group's aims ... include "driving coordinated marketing and promotion of PC gaming...and creating forums for member companies to cooperate on solutions to challenges facing the PC gaming industry, such as hardware requirements and anti piracy." Members include graphics card rivals ATI and NVidia, hardware firms like Intel and Acer, games producers Epic and Activision, ... (view more)

Up until this Christmas, the likelihood of Dad getting an HD-DVD or Blu-ray player was on par with his hopes of sliding a brand new Ferrari around Germany's Nuburgring. That's because extravagant cost has kept high definition movie players outside ... the average family home. That is, until this Christmas. For the first time in the history of the technology, Blu-ray and HD-DVD players are actually affordable gifts. When Sony introduced its first Blu-ray player, the BD-P1000, most homeowners -- even the hardcore techies -- scoffed at the $1,000 price tag. Although Toshiba's HD-DVD players were ... (view more)

In my opinion, people don't need any more reason to avoid Windows Vista like the plague, but now APC Magazine is reporting that swapping out a video card or updating a device driver can end up triggering a complete Vista deactivation. What does it ... mean? The results could lead to Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM), until one can obtain a new activation code from Microsoft. A few days after swapping out a video card on a computer running Windows Vista Ultimate the APC author started receiving a Windows Activation prompt telling him he had three days to activate Windows or he'd end up going into ... (view more)

A lot of things have been written about Windows Vista...some good, some bad. As with everything else, Vista has its good and bad points. Some have even compared Vista to the Ford Edsel, and to Windows Millenium (ME) at its worst. Now Vista has sunk ... to a new catastrophic low...it's now being referred to as the second Titanic, which if you'll recall, sank on its maiden voyage. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes made the comparison in an article published on Earthweb.com. He also writes for zdnet.com. "An operating system (OS) isn't a stand-alone item" he writes. "For an operating system to be successful it ... (view more)

Will you be upgrading to Windows Vista any time soon? Vote your opinion at the end of this article! -- At the annual WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) earlier this month, Microsoft issued new numbers in an attempt to bridge troubled ... waters concerning the success of their new Windows Vista operating system (OS). Microsoft claims to have sold almost 40 million copies of Windows Vista in its first 100 days, twice as many copies of Windows XP after its first 100 days. The big question is, who's buying them? PC makers under contract with them? Consumers aren't buying them at a rapid ... (view more)

The recent release of Microsoft Vista and Exchange 2007 has IT managers and system administrators taking a long hard look at upgrading their organization's infrastructures reports. (Source: processor.com ). While there may be some advantages to the ... new products such as enhanced security features, optimized mobility functions and integrated searching, there are just as many if not more challenges, including hardware upgrades and compatibility issues. Keith McCall, founder and CTO of Azaleos, a company that builds appliances with Microsoft software preloaded and preconfigured then provides ... (view more)